Emi in Rand Land
by Ryo Oh Ki7
Summary: Emi is a not so normal school girl with no friends and a family that doesn't care about her. Who is the strange woman in her back yard that introduces herself as an Aiel?
1. Emi in RandLand: Prologue

Emi stared at the clock. Willing it to go faster, to skip a few minutes, but no matter how hard she tried it wouldn't co-operate.   
  
She wished that the torture would end, but it wouldn't. Detention, it seemed, would remain the punishment that it was supposed to be.   
  
She frowned as she recalled the reason for her torture. As a martial artist it was her duty to protect the weak and to not use her abilities except in defence of herself or others. The school of course had it's own rules. She didn't hurt the boy, too much. He was in year ten and was picking on a young girl in year seven. He was calling her names and pushing her around. Emi saw this and jumped in to rescue the poor girl. It wasn't her fault that he had to be taken to hospital. He threw the first punch. He charged towards her, unmindful of the stairs behind her. He fell down the stairs on his own. The slight push from Emi wouldn't have made much difference to the outcome. But because the teacher knew of her martial arts training and because the boy's friends all claimed that she pushed him (that one of them was the principal's son made sure that the testimony from the young girl was ignored), she was given detention. The damning allegations from the teacher convinced her mother and stepfather of her guilt.  
  
She stared at the paper in front of her and the pen next to it. She was told that she had to write an apology to the boy. She would not   
  
Apologise. There was nothing to apologise for. But she knew that if she didn't then she would have detention the next day, and the next,   
  
until she did. She knew this because this was her fourth day of detention.  
  
"Still nothing?" asked Mister Henderson as he returned from the staff room. Emi tried to glare at him as best she could, and took satisfaction in his surprise.  
  
"You know, I don't get paid any extra for this." he stated, knowing that she didn't care, "Just write something and save both of us the   
  
hassle."  
  
She thought for a moment, before deciding. Absently she picked up the pen and began writing. Once finished she asked the teacher for   
  
an envelope, which he graciously provided. She sealed the envelope, addressing it to the young hooligan.  
  
"Well, finally we can both go home." Mr Henderson said, "Now, we expect not to have any more trouble from you Emi."  
  
On her way home Emi pondered the outcome of her situation, kicking herself for not thinking of the solution sooner. Oh, she apologised all right. Apologised on his behalf for picking on that girl, for his stupidity on attacking a martial artist, for his idiocy in charging her and thereby falling down the stairs. She apologised for his parents, who obviously didn't raise him correctly. Finally, she apologised to him for getting his arse kicked by a girl. Yes, if it all worked, then it was the best possible outcome that she could hope for. She stepped up her walk to a jog, there was no need to get lax in her training. It was ten kilometres home, and her stepfather had refused to come and get her as further punishment. After two years of marriage to her mother, he still didn't realise that a ten kilometre jog was nothing to her. She could do twice that and still practice her martial arts for three hours afterwards.  
  
She didn't practice Aikido, judo, karate or any of the other mainstream styles. Her art was taught to her by her father, who had died three years ago. It was a style taught to him by a family run school in Japan whilst he was there studying and later working. It took a little from all of the different styles, amalgamating them into something new. Something different, and if needed something deadly. 'Not that it should ever be needed' he used to say. She could tell that he hated teaching her the moves that fit into the last category, but he refused to skimp on her training. If she were ever put into a situation where she would need them, it was better to know them than to be ignorant. After seven years of training, she still didn't know all that he could teach, and her mother wouldn't allow her to study at a school near home. But in two years time, she would be out of home and at University. Perhaps she could join a school in Melbourne, perhaps they could teach her something new. When she finally went to Japan, perhaps she could study under the grand-master of her school. In no time at all, she was home and swapping her school dress for something more appropriate for raining. Her mother and step-father John weren't home. Although both worked, they were probably at the local pub safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't be home for another few hours. That suited her, because both hated it when she practiced and so she would usually jog down to the local park. Today she could practice in the backyard. About to slide open the back door, she was surprised to see a strangely dressed woman in the backyard. The next door neighbours were nice people, hippies and frequently high, jumping over the side fence to visit. This wasn't one of them. She had red hair, similar to Emi's and was wearing a light brown jacket and pants with a scarf of a similar colour wrapped around her head. She carried what looked to be a spear. She shifted into a stance at Emi's movement but relaxed it as soon as she looked at Emi. A look of recognition seemed to dawn upon her. Emi grasped a knife from the kitchen bench beside her and opened the door.  
  
"I am Tanil, Far Dareis Mai of the Jaern Rift sept of the Codarra Aiel." the woman introduced herself, "Please, I have been sent to get you for your assistance is needed."  
  
"Get me?" Emi asked, brandishing the knife in front of her.  
  
"Yes." Tanil replied, "My journey has been long, but the Wise Ones instructed me of it's importance. If I do not return with you, then all of the Aiel will die."  
  
"What Wise Ones, what Aiel?" Emi asked, ready to run to the phone to dial triple '0', "What are you talking about?"  
  
The woman, Tanil, somehow sensed her fear and spoke a little less forcefully, "Please. The last thing I would do is think harm upon you."  
  
Fed up, Emi threatened the woman, "I warn you! Get lost or I'll call the police!"  
  
The woman seemed to get frustrated and upset, saying to herself, "I knew this would happen! Why did I have to be the one to find the Amulet? Why couldn't it have been Braen or Allander?"  
  
Resigned, Tanil pleaded with Emi, "Please. We only have a short while before the portal closes."  
  
"What portal?" Emi asked, confused.  
  
"That portal." the strange woman replied, pointing to the back wall of the house. Emi stepped out of the door and dropped the knife in shock when she saw not the bricks of the back wall but a circular picture of a forest. The picture seemed so real, there was no way that it could have been a photo or a projection because the branches of the trees were swaying and she could not see the bricks of the wall.  
  
"Please." Tanil repeated, "We don't have much time."  
  
Emi tried to weigh everything in her mind. A strange woman needed her help. The woman wants her to go through a portal. A portal, presumably to another world. The woman needed her help. She had no friends, her family didn't care about her. She wouldn't be missed. Her need for adventure tugged at her, along with her sense of duty towards protecting those in need. 'There better be enough time to pack and write a quick note.' Emi thought, as she hurried inside.  
  
"One sec!" she shouted behind her as she run up towards her room.  
  
Emi returned outside a minute later, her backpack over her shoulder and her katana in one hand.  
  
"What are you doing with that?!" Tanil asked distastefully, pointing towards the katana that had once belonged to her father.  
  
"My katana?" Emi asked, "My father willed it to me when he died."  
  
"Swords are forbidden to be used." the woman replied.  
  
"Oh. Um. Well, hold a sec." Emi said, as she raced once more towards her bedroom. She returned a little while later with a naginata, the last present her father had given her.  
  
"Well then." Emi said, "I won't use the sword but I'm not leaving it behind."  
  
Together, they entered the portal.  
  
Everything blurred, then went black. Emi then found herself in the middle of a forest.  
  
"I am afraid we must hurry, it is a long way from here to the Three-Fold Land." Tanil said, pointing to her left, "This way."  
  
Emi hefted her pack, shoved the katana through her belt and lifted her naginata. They began a slow jog through the forest, Emi admiring the quiet and peacefulness of her surroundings. She doubted that she would see a possum or kangaroo and wondered what sort of animals there were around her. She soon grew accustomed to jogging with her naginata in one hand, the awkwardness and weight eventually making little difference. Tanil seemed a little surprised that Emi could keep up and quickened her pace. Emi matched her, knowing that she could jog for at least twenty kilometres before she needed a rest.  
  
Eventually they came to a small river and Tanil stopped dead in her tracks. The river wasn't too wide, or running very rapidly.  
  
"I reckon I could swim that, but I'd get my backpack wet." Emi said as she walked to the river bank, trying to gauge it's depth.  
  
"You could what?" Tanil asked.  
  
"You know, swim." Emi replied, making swimming motions with her arms.  
  
"You can do that?" Tanil asked incredulously.  
  
"Of course I can." replied Emi, "What? You can't?"  
  
"No." answered a shocked Tanil, "Up until I came into the wetlands, I had never seen so much water. There is nothing like this in the Three-Fold Land."  
  
Emi was surprised, almost everyone in Australia knew how to swim. 'This Three-Fold Land must be a desert.' she thought.  
  
"I suppose that it would be too much to ask for a bridge or something?" Emi asked herself as she sat down, going through her pack for the packet of Tim Tams she had pinched from the pantry.  
  
"A bridge?" Tanil said, "I did use a bridge to cross over the river, but it was close to a town. I do not think that I would be able to protect you if we went near it."  
  
"Protect me?" Emi asked, munching on a Tim Tam as she threw another to her new friend, "I didn't bring my weapons for nothing. I don't need protecting, and why would people attack us anyway?"  
  
Tanil took a bite of the biscuit and apparently liked the taste, "I am Aiel and you look like one. The wetlanders would attack us on sight."  
  
"Theres no hope for it I suppose, if you can't swim." Emi replied, "Which way's the bridge?"  
  
"I think," Tanil said, looking around her and finally pointing upstream, "It's that way."  
  
Emi packed up the Tim Tams and followed Tanil, at a more sedate pace this time. Tanil was obviously wary of her surroundings, so Emi attempted to pay more attention herself. Eventually the forest thinned and a grassy plain was displayed before them. Together they followed a path, looked to be well worn down by cars (or more likely carts!) that ran alongside the river. Both were surprised, when they came over the top of a hill, to see a group of armed men riding horses. All wore armor such as a medievil knight would wear. Tanil was just as quick as the men. The shouts of "Filthy Aiel" reached them even as Tanil finished winding her head scarf around her mouth and jaw. Throwing another to Emi, she motioned for the young girl to do likewise. Tanil waited patiently for Emi to wind it over her head and mouth, even as the horsemen charged. Emi finished, just in time as the men were about fifteen meters away and closing rapidly, swords drawn. Emi soon proved that the reach of a sword is nothing compared to that of a seven foot naginata, felling one man and bringing the haft around to deflect the blow of another. The man whose sword she had blocked brought another sword around and was blocked again, but this time Emi shortened her grip and swung the naginata up and down. She brought the weapon down so forcebly that when it struck his shoulder, it continued down. When the man fell off his horse however, the naginata was ripped from her hands.  
  
She fell, barely registering the contact as a blinding flash of pain emenated from her shoulder. Absently looking down she wondered why there was so much blood soaking into her new shirt. Everything went blank for a moment then she heard a fear scream, "Nooooo!" and her sight returned. God, she wished that it hadn't. Tanil was running towards her but a man on horseback came between them briefly. Then, there was just Tanil. Kneeling on the ground, headless. The peaceful blackness returned. 


	2. Emi in RandLand: Chapter 1

Emi woke up, a moment later the pain in her shoulder made her wince. it was then that she realised that she was lying on a bed with her arms tied to the bed-posts. A moment of fear swept through her. When the pain subsided, she was able to survey her surroundings. A large wooden door rested in the wall past the foot of the bed, to her right a window broke the dull monotony of black stone bricks, allowing sunlight to stream into the room. A dresser rested against the wall to her left. Although the blankets on the bed covered her almost completely, she was able to tell tha tshe was dressed in a rough feeling nighty. The sounds of a repetative clanging drifted through the window, metal striking metal. Other sounds too, farm animals and the drone of human speech.  
"Hello!" she attempted to cry, but it came out merely as a hoarse whisper. Her mouth was dry and her stomach rumbled. Emi tried to tug on the cloth holding her harms but found it secure against her lack of strength. Her efforts were rewarded with more pain in her shoulder. She let out a muted cry of pain this time, at the sudden attack. The door opened shortly after, admitting a young girl about Emi's age, wearing a plain white dress. The young girl let out a gasp at Emi's awakened state and placed the tray she was carrying on the dresser before hurrying back out of the room with a quick backward glance. Emi could hear the sounds of a bolt being drawn on the other side of the door and attempted to lift herself up to see what was on the tray. It seemed to hold a bowl and a cloth.  
A few minutes later a young man entered tot he room accompanied by four armed guards. The guards were dressed in something similar to the "knights" that had attacked her, wearing some sort of armor made of linked metal loops. Helmets rested on their heds, with nose guards. Each carried a spear and a sword rested at the hips of each of them. The young man was dressed differently, in a bright red jacket that seemed to be made of silk. He appeared to be no more than twenty, but appeared to be strutting around as if his father were Rupert Murdoch. The four guards fanned out to each corner of the bed, the young man stood at it's foot.  
"Who are you?" the man asked.  
Emi looked at him and his guards in turn. All bore a strong resemblence to her attackers.  
"How did I get here?" she croaked.  
"My soldiers brought you here," he replied, looking thoughtful, "after you and your companion attacked them"  
Emi felt herself becoming angry, 'after we attacked them? Tanil, Tanil was dead'  
"They attacked us." she replied, trying to settle down the grief.  
The man seemed to ignore her completely, "Who are you?" he repeated.  
"Emi Watson." she replied as the grief returned, 'I never even got a chance to tell Tanil my name'  
The man clapped his hands, and the young maid entered carrying her backpack.  
"And what manner of items are these?" he asked as he tipped the contents onto the bed.  
"My clothes and food." she replied, absently noting that the packet of Tim Tams had dissapeared.  
"Where is my Katana and Naginata?" she demanded.  
"And what is this?" he asked, holding up her walkman and cd collection, again ignoring her questions.  
"Water and food." she demanded in reply, making a show of shutting her mouth, determined not to answer anymore questions until her demand had been met.  
The young man looked at her, glared would be a better term, before stamping out of the room followed by the guards and the maid. Emi noted that the man had forgotten to collect her belongings and had not opened her bundle of cutlery. Lifting up the bundle between her toes, she managed to empty the cutlery on the bed. Her knife, spoon, fork and steak knife. With a little effort she managed to grasp the steak knife in a similar manner and flicked it towards the head of the bed. It bounced off the pillow a centimeter from her head. Thankfully she had enough slack in the bindings to be able to grasp it in her right hand and she began to saw away at the cloth. She cut through in no time and began work on the cloth holding her other hand. Soon she was up and annoyed at her lack of strength. She quickly packed most of her belongings away in her backpack. She quickly changed, horrified at the amount of damage done to her shoulder as the pain lanced through her with each movement. She decided to forgo her bra, as the amount of pain would not be worth it 'not that I really need one anyway' she thought bitterly and decided upon the black fatigues, black singlet top and black jacket, hoping that they wouldn't rub up against her wound too much.  
'So much for that theory' she thought, wincing as she zipped up the bag. Emi looked to the tray on the dresser, realising that the bowl contained only water, if a bit warm. She took a few gulps from the bowl and moved to stand behind the door when she heard footsteps from outside. 


	3. Emi in RandLand: Chapter 2

The footsteps stopped at the door, and it slowly began to open. Emi noticed through the gap that one of the armoured men was there, carrying a tray. He began to walk into the room, and Emi stepped out from her hiding place. He was shocked at seeing her loose and dropped the tray in haste to draw his sword. Emi flung the water from the bowl into the man's face and promply smashed the bowl into the man's face. He fell backwards with a thump, blood streaming from his nose and above his eye. Beyond the man, in the hallway stood a woman. She was not dressed as a maid, but rather wore a deep blue silken dress. The woman raised her hands, and suddenly Emi couldn't move! It was as if someone had come up behind her and grabbed her in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her body. But there wasn't anyone behind her! There wasn't anyone near her except for this woman, and she was at least two meters away! Another guard stepped around the woman, drew his sword and stepped behind Emi! Suddenly everything went dark.

Emi awoke to a sort of rhythmic movement. He arms were tied with rope around the neck of a horse. Her feet obviously tied to the stirrups or something else down there, as she couldn't move them. She looked around her, being careful not to alert her captors.  
"Jozef, Jachim, she's awake." came a female voice from behind her.  
Emi looked back and saw the woman in blue on a horse behind her. A horse came up on the other side of Emi, so she moved her head onto the other side of the horses neck and looked towards it. A rough looking man sat on the horse there, wrapped in a cloak that seemed to bend light around it. It reminded Emi of the alien from the Arnie movie. The man pulled out some sort of bladder and tipped water down onto Emi. Some went into her mouth, the rest all over her face. Another made rode up, also dressed in a colour shifting cloak. He said something to the woman before riding off ahead. They soon continued their journey, heading south-west (so long as the sun rose and set in the same direction it did on Earth.) The woman pointedly ignored Emi and all of her questions, except when she had questions of her own. All of which Emi refused to answer. Emi noticed during the first few hours of the trip that there was another horse, carrying Emi's bag, katana and naginata, along with a number of other things.

They must have travelled quite a way in that first day, although they must have set out after mid-day. Once night fell, the two men busied themselves rolling out swags and setting a fire whilst the woman dismounted lightly and rummaged around the packs, finally emerging with a largish book. She sat down on a blanket, leant against a tree and began to read. Emi watched the woman so intently that she did not realise that the men had gone, but did when they returned. One carried a stick with three rabbits hanging from it, the other carried a bow. Emi returned her attention to the woman to find her looking at Emi appraisingly. Emi stared at the woman, who did not show any emotion but instead returned to reading her book. The next time Emi's attention was dragged away from her was because of the wonderful smells coming from the fire. The two men were cooking something in a large pot, and it reminded Emi painfully that she had not eaten for sometime. One of the men soon undid the bindings at her feet and let Emi down from the horse, whilst the other served up dinner. Emi wolfed it down, it was wonderful, marvelous! Rabbit stew, with potatoes, onion and a few other things that Emi could not identify. At a nod from the woman, one of the men filled up her bowl again. After dinner, one of the men (the one that didn't look so rough) led her to a space between two trees. He tied her arms to one tree and her feet to the other. Emi didn't care, she felt full, beside a fire and very very tired.

Emi slept peacefully, dreaming of the woman who had introduced herself as 'Aiel.' And she awoke with a great sadness weighing upon her. She opened her eyes to look briefly around and gasped when the first thing she saw was the face of 'roughy'. "She's awake!" he called out across the campsite.  
The silken woman walked over to Emi's trees, spread out a blanket and sat herself down upon it. She looked like she had been awake for hours and had managed to find herself a shower and a clean set of clothes from somewhere. Emi meanwhile, felt the dirt covering her.  
"Who are you?" Emi asked the woman, who replied with the same question.  
Emi refused to answer, she would no longer give out any information to her captors.  
"Well then." The woman stated, "Perhaps you will answer my question if I answer yours"  
Emi thought for a moment, before nodding.  
"I am Ilana-Sedai." the woman said, after a moment.  
"My name's Emi, Emi Watson." Emi answered and spent a moment thinking of another question, "Why are you holding me captive"  
"Because you killed Knights of Shienar." Ilana answered then questioned again, "What were two Aiel doing this side of the Spine of the World"  
"Tanil was coming to get me, I was needed." Emi replied, "What makes you think that I'm Aiel"  
The woman raised one eyebrow, obviously taken off guard, "There are no other peoples with red hair and such height. If you are not Aiel, then where are you from"  
Emi was not sure that she wanted to reveal all just yet, but she had other questions that she wanted answered, "Rosebud, on the Mornington Peninsula. Where are you taking me"  
Ilana watched Emi carefully when she replied, "Tar Valon." Emi was sure that she noticed the lack of recognition in her face. "Why are you needed"  
Emi felt a tear roll down her cheek, "Tanil said that If I didn't return with her then all of the Aiel would die." Emi thought for a moment, then stated to Ilana, "I think that we have shared enough answers for the moment"  
The woman, Ilana, nodded and rose. She walked back towards the horses, motioning to rough and not-so-rough. The two men walked towards her and untied her from the tree.  
Emi felt a sudden pressing in her bladder, she coughed then told the two men, "I need to go to the toilet"  
One of the men looked up towards Ilana, who nodded to him. The men undid the bindings on her feet then led her a short distance away from the camp before undoing the bindings on her hands. Emi started to walk towards a nearby bush. She was stopped short by a gruff "Here." from 'rough.  
"Are you shitting me?" Emi asked the man, who replied with a simple "Then you don't go"  
Emi narrowed her eyes at the man, but he didn't relent.  
"Fine! Turn around then." she ordered. Then men looked at each other and both turned around simultaneously.  
Emi did her business and noted whilst she was doing up her pants that neither man had yet turned around. She moved quietly up behind 'rough', dropping him briefly with a quick punch to the lower back, launching a kick at 'not-so-rough'. Notso was already turning around, sword in hand, when Emi's kick (aimed also at his lower back) connected firmly with the delicate spot between the man's legs. Realising that he would be some time getting over that, she turned back to rough giving him a quick blow to the neck. Emi heard the rustle of branches and the snapping of twigs from the direction of the camp, and realised that Ilana must be on her way. Not wishing to be caught with that 'invisible bear hug' again, Emi quickly climbed a nearby tree. She watched as Ilana rushed to the two men and jumped down as the woman was bending over 'rough'. Emi's feet landed directly between the womans shoulder blades, knocking her over the prostrate man. Emi quickly kicked 'notso', before checking all of their pulses. All were unconscious, but breathing and alive. For that Emi was glad, she hated that she was forced to kill the 'Shienar Knights', and after all, these people had fed her.  
Emi ran towards the camp, moving her bag, katana and naginata to 'rough's horse. She spent a moment to rummage around in the other bags, coming out with a loaf of bread and the bladder of water. She untied the other horses, slapping them on the flank to force them to run away before mounting her own horse and heading off into the forest to the East. 


	4. Emi in RandLand: Chapter 3

It was a quick and scary ride. The horse must have been going as fast as it could, for Emi was forced to duck tree branches every few seconds and hold on to the horse as it jumped small gullies. She could feel the coppery tang of blood in her mouth from a cut somewhere on her face, she couldn't duck all of the branches. After what seemed like an hour, she pulled back on the reigns and slowed the horse. Emi jumped off the horse and rummaged around in her back, eventually pulling out a roll of fishing line. Reasoning that if the line was strong enough to pull up a shark, it would be strong enough to knock her persuers off their horses, she strung it up between two trees at about chest height. Emi hoped that the two men and Ilana would have given up on her, but she realised that they were probably the sort to dog her step all the way to wherever it was that the Aiel lived. Emi sincerely hoped that the Aiel lived in a place that was easy to find, she'd hate to be riding around for a year looking for it. All she knew was that Tanil was leading her Eastward, of course Ilana had taken her some kilometers south and she had no idea where the city that they were travelling from fit into the picture. East it was though, and Emi knew that Ilana and the men would know that as well. Another hour in the saddle and the forest started to thin out. Trees became more sparse and began to give way to rock dotted plains. Mountains began to loom ahead of her off into the distance. It looked like a continuous wall, spreading along the horizon ahead of her. To the right, she noted, they seemed to turn towards the west, but these mountains to the south of her seemed not quite as tall and foreboding. Emi, realising that the imposing wall of mountains must be the 'spine of the world' that Ilana spoke of, decided that it would be much easier trying to tackle the smaller ones, rather than the larger ones to the east. To that end, Emi turned to the south and hoped that doing so would put off her persuers. It was a long shot, but it might at least give her a bit of time.

It was nearing night, when Emi was stopped short by a river blocking her way. It looked to be flowing from the mountains to her left and heading back westward towards the forests. It didn't appear too wide, nor too swift. Emi undid the reigns of the horse from one side of the bit, and led the horse towards the river. The river wasn't very swift at all, nor was it too deep. Horse and rider were soon across to the other side, both wet and cold. As it was beginning to get dark, Emi decided to stop for the night. She could see nearby a group of boulders, rising up out of the ground, and decided to stop in there. She found a nice spot in the middle of the boulders that could not be seen from across the river and tied up the horse. A quick search for wood turned up nothing large, there were many small bushes however. A plant with large shiny leaves seemed to be the most common form of flora in these rocky plains. Emi broke up some twigs and one of the bushes into smaller pieces, and once set in a pile rummaged around in her pack for her zippo. The lack of bark and dried leaves would have made for a dismal fire had it not been for the shiny leaves. Although green, the leaves proved better than eucalyptus leaves for a fire. The leaves shined because of all the oil in them, and that oil made for a very powerful fire. Emi was soon dry, and checking her weapons (making sure that they weren't wet) and her pack (praying that her spare clothes didn't need drying). The weapons weren't wet, and neither was the contents of her bag (thanks to a liberal coating of scotch guard a few weeks back). Emi walked around the boulders, making sure that the fire couldn't be seen from the north, and once she was satisfied, set herself down to sleep.

She was woken numerous times during the night, the hooting of owls was the common culprit. Not once did she hear the noise of people wading through a river. She was guessing that it was about four or five o'clock in the morning when she really woke up and began to get ready for the day. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and the birds were calling out their morning prayers. No magpies, no kookaburras. All the familiar bird calls were gone. It made her slightly homesick, but the growling in her stomach drew her attention to a greater problem. The bread she took from Ilana was a heavy black bread, something completely unlike the 'plain white block, cut sandwich' she used to buy on her way home from school. Emi was hungry enough to eat anything though, and a slab of the heavy bread was quickly demolished. It was easily washed down by water from the bladder and once she was on her horse she made a quick detour by the river to refill it.

By night on the second day she was camping at the base of the southern mountains, with a fire set in a small gully. From what she could see in the fading light, the mountain, whilst not quite as imposing as those to the east still looked very difficult to climb. The morning, with it's increasing light, did not help her opinion of it. Emi was faced with a difficult decision. She could attempt to go over the mountains here, or follow them westward until she found a way around them. The horse was obviously tired from the hard riding and Emi didn't know if it would be able to make it up the mountains, but she couldn't stop for fear of getting captured again. So it was that she decided to follow the mountain range to the south west, and about mid-day she came across another river flowing down from the mountains. Emi decided to follow the river to it's source, and discovered that, over time, it had worn away quite a gap in the mountains. Night of the third day, she camped in a cave overlooking the river.

Another group of hills was on the other side, and Emi travelled at a more sedate pace over these. The top of the hills afforded her a great view to the south and east. To the south she could see another river working it's way from the East, coming out from in between two large groups of mountains and threading it's way in between other hills. To the East she could see desert, interspersed with brush. It was something very akin to the outback, the centre of Australia, but where the river flowed the green of trees and grass followed. Whilst the river she was following did not quite meet up with it, she was confident that if she could reach this path of green the she would have an easy ride through the 'spine of the world'.

By the fifth day she had reached the river, with it's escort of grasses and plants. It was now that she had run out of food, and the gnawing pain in her stomach made her aware of the need to eat. The sixth day found her following an eastward fork of the river into the desolate wastes ahead of her. When the river here began to get thinner and shallower, she realised that she needed something to eat urgently. Whilst she knew that Aborigines could find food in the outback, they knew where to look for it. Emi did not, and it was no knowing how long it would be before she found any of the 'Aiel'. It was nearing night time when she began to see lights in the distance. They appeared to be coming from up ahead, next to the river (although it looked more like a creek now). As she got closer, it became apparent that it was a group of covered wagons all drawn into a circle around the creek. A couple of fires were burning in the middle of the wagon circle, and lanterns hung around the perimeter. Dogs barked, running out towards her, stopping just inside the protection of the lantern-light. Men rushed out, hiding behind the wagons with bows drawn or spears in hand.

"Who goes there? Friend or Foe?" a voice called out to her. 


	5. Emi in RandLand: Chapter 4

"Friend!" Emi called out, and rode slowly into the defences of their light. The dogs backed away from her, growling. Some of the men lowered their weapons, others drew back arrows even further. Emi stopped, just out of range of the light from the lantern. A man stepped out from the relative protection of the wagons. A large black beard hid most of his face. He held a small cudgel in his hand and walked forward with all of the confidence born from the knowledge that he had at least ten bows drawn on the stranger before him. He was a large man, broad of shoulder and wide of waist, but he looked imposing. The man walked out almost to the lantern itself, before stopping. The man pointed his cudgel at Emi and said in a low voice, "Show yourself stranger, If you be friend."

Emi nudged her horse forward, it obliged her happily. She could hear the amazed gasps as the light slowly revealed her face. She picked up a few muttered oaths, and the word 'Aiel' was spoken by at least a few. 

The imposing man backed away a few steps. "I'm sorry, your... ahh... ladyship." He stammered, "We don't mean to be tresspassing, just simple merchants we are."

Emi debated whether or not to tell the man that she wasn't Aiel and decided that she would probably get at least some food if she continued on the pretense.

She waved her hand in what she hoped was a dismissive gesture and the man continued.

"It's our first time heading into the wastes you see." the man said, looking over his shoulder, "If it weren't for my wife you see, I wouldn't have thought of it." The woman in question was just then peering out from the door of a wagon.

The man brightened up considerably as if suddenly struck with a brilliant idea, "Perhaps you would care to share dinner with us?" he asked, "It's simple fare, but hearty."

It was obvious that the man wished for an escort through the lands of the Aiel, a job that Emi was not prepared for at all. The offer of food however was more than welcome, and the man was of course yet to request her services. Emi nodded her acceptence, and was soon leading her horse into the middle of the wagons. She kept her naginata in hand, but began relaxing as soon as children and women made their ways out of the wagons.

The women and children in the camp were staring at her unashamedly, the children from behind their mother's skirts. The men in the camp were all armed and still standing, watching her warily. Most were in their twenties or thirties, but some may have been only a little older than her. Those that were older held their weapons comfortably, the others less so.

"We picked up an assortment of wares and Merrille, that's my wife, decided that a trip into the wastes might be profitable." the man was telling her, then confided "Under the light though, I think that she is just jealous that our neighbours have made so much trading with you and yours."

Emi nodded briefly to show that she was paying attention to him, but she had just caught a whiff of food. "Jona," the man said, "Jona Araim"  
Emi relied with a brief "Emi.", her attention was almost fully on the large pot of stew they were walking towards. Obviously large enough to feed all in the camp, the cast iron pot hung from a thick tripod over a large fire. Jona ladled out a large helping of stew into a bowl and handed it to Emi with both hands. Emi gratefully accepted it, and was soon sitting in front of the fire eating the gravy-thick meal. Each bite of rabbit (she hoped it was rabbit), carrots, onion and gravy seemed the best meal she had ever had. Soon there was only the thick gravy left in the bottom of the bowl, which soon dissapeared with a few swipes of a slice of bread. The man continued to prattle on about the troubles of trading in this or that city, and Emi cursed herself for not paying more attention. She soon realised that the names meant nothing to her, but she made at least an effort to memorise them. Although with no map to help her place them, the cities of Tear blended with Amador and Tanchico.

It was during her meal, that the men around her began to relax. Soon after she had finished, one young guard brought out a recorder and began playing a tune. Someone began singing and he was soon joined by four or five more. Emi recognised neither the song nor the words, but was content to sit back and listen.

The weariness of travel soon began to take her, and Jona offered her a place in one of the wagons. Emi declined, hoping that the ground was more true to Tannil's tough character than the nice comfortable bed she truly desired. Sleep came quickly, nestled on a patch of soft sand with her backpack for a pillow.

Emi woke up before sun rise, naginata still clutched in her hand, and shivered. The temperature must have dropped during the night, 'just like in the outback' she thought bitterly, 'Jesus, I'm an idiot." She got up, stretched out a few kinks in her back, and shook out the sand that had accumulated under her clothing. In an effor to warm up, she strapped her pack and katana to her back, and naginata in hand she began to jog away from the wagons. All of the guards must have been asleep, for she was out without a challenge. The sun was beginning to rise as she headed out, and she decided to head towards it. The rough, broken terrain made for a bit of difficulty but she was making a steady pace by the time the sun had fully risen. Emi turned around and began to head back the way she came when she was stopped short by the long form of a snake in amongst the rocks ahead of her. It was at least three feet long and was a deep red colour. Emi lowered her naginata towards the snake, which slithered away from the weapon. Once it had gone out of range of her weapon, it dissapeared beneath a pile of rocks. Emi skirted far around those rocks. By the time she arrived back at the camp the sun had risen fully and she was quite warm. There was a commotion near where all of the horses was staked, and Emi walked over towards it. A man was holding up half of a snake that looked very similar to the one Emi had skirted only ten minutes previous. A horse was lying on it's side, legs kicking in reflex. In only a few moments, the seizure had stopped and the horse remained still.

"Well that tears it!" she heard Jona complain, "I told you that we needed spare horses, but you demanded more goods!" He was obviously yelling at his wife, who apparently had the last say in all matters business. He was continuing on about the need to leave a caravan behind due to the shortage of horses when Emi approached him.

"How much to buy my horse?" she asked him, understanding the need for some sort of money.

Jona looked at her shrewdly, then looked at her horse. "Thirty gold, it's the most I can offer." he said.

Emi didn't know what it was, but something was telling her that the horse was worth more than that. "Fifty." she countered, "Just think of how much you'll lose if you have to leave a wagon behind."

He seemed to mull that over for a moment before he smiled, holding out his hand. Emi took it and shook on the deal. Jona entered his wagon and emerged a moment later carrying a leather pouch. This he promptly handed over to Emi, who spilt out a large number of round golden coins into her hand.  
Emi smiled briefly at the merchant, before returning the coins to their pouch and placing the pouch into her backpack.

The wagons were quickly packed and on their way. The party moved at a slow pace, following a track well worn into the rocky terrain, stopping only at nightfall. Emi spoke briefly only with Jona. Most of the guards ignored her, or at least pretended to. The only ones other than Jona who were at least moderately friendly were the children, when their mothers weren't hustling them into the wagons away from her.  
Perhaps it was the reputation of the Aiel, or the obvious oddity of a girl carrying a weapon, but it left her with her own thoughts as company for most of the journey. Night-time proved to be more of the first night, a stew in a large pot and a bit of light music from the guards.

The next five days continued in a similar fashion. Wake up. Jog. Walking. Rest. Emi began to range out from the long line of wagons, heading off on her own well ahead of the group. She climbed some of the larger rock hills, marvelled at the great gorges that the wagon train missed. 

It was on the sixth day, ranging at least half an hour ahead of the group, that Emi began to see movement around her. It began with a small slide of rocks only twenty meters away from her. When she looked up to the beginning of it, she saw nothing. Later however, she began to see shadows on the ground and shapes moving on the tops of nearby cliffs. Sure that wild animals would have attacked by now, Emi decided to attempt to talk to her watchers. She walked away from the cliffs, into an area where there was nothing to hide behind for at least one hundred meters all around. 

Emi placed her naginata on the ground and stepped back five paces. "I am Emi Watson!" she called out, looking first one way and then the other, "Tanil, Far Dareis Mai of the Jaern Rift sept of the Codarra Aiel was sent to get me"  
Emi hoped that she had said it correctly, Tanil's introduction was burned into her memory but she couldn't be sure that it was right.

Emi heard a slight noise behind her, and looked briefly over her shoulder. A man was walking towards her. He was tall, wearing clothing of the same browny red colour that Tanil wore. His face was uncovered and Emi hoped that meant that he wasn't about to attack her. He appeared young to her eyes, yellow hair poking out from amongst his head scarf. He had a small shield on his left arm, and carried a short spear in his right. The man stopped a few meters away from Emi and placed his own short spear on the ground. He also stepped back five paces. 

"I am Dedric, Aethan Dor of the Jaern Rift Sept of the Codarra Aiel." he introduced himself, "Welcome home to the Three-Fold Land." 


End file.
